Metallic railroad-tie



(No Model.)

A. W.. STRAUB. METALLIC RAILROADTIE.

Patented-Mar. 15, 1892.

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vwewboi W M 551 alto' mm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AMBROSE WV. STRAUB, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

METALLIC RAILROAD-TIE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,904, dated March 15, 1892.

Application filed April 8 1891. Serial No. 388,072. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AMBROSE W. STRAUB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic Railroad-Ties, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in metallic railroad-ties; and it consists in certain novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is an end view of my improved tie, the rail being shown in position thereon. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same with parts broken away, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the longitudinal support for the rails.

The tie A is constructed of rolled metal, and consists of a top plate B and the flanges O D, depending from the side edges of the same, the flange 0 being comparatively short to permit the ballast to be packed under the tie, while the flange D is rather long to extend deeply into the ground and thereby hold the tie in place. On the upper side of the tie I form the central longitudinal rib E, having the notches F to receive the rails or the longitudinal supportsfor the same. IVhen the tie is used on curves, I further provide the stay or anchor G on the under side of the same, at the center thereof, to prevent the tie moving laterally from the line of the track. This stay or anchor consists of a T-shaped plate or block having its head or lateral arms bolted to the top of the tie, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. If it is necessary atany time to remove the tie to substitute a new one or to renew the road-bed ballast, it is necessary only to remove the nuts on the upper ends of the securing-bolts, after which the tie can be easily pried up suffioiently to be drawn out from under the rails. The new tie can then be pushed into position and the bolts secured. The top of the tie is slightly arched, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1, so as to have a slight elasticity and thereby permit the tie to yield somewhat to the strain put thereon by a passing train, thus making the travel very smooth and easy.

On the upper side of the tie I secure the longitudinal supports H for the rails. These supports have ribs or flanges I at their edges to increase their rigidity and strength, and they are secured to the tie by means of bolts passed through their edges into the tie, one edge being rigidly secured, while the other edge is allowed to have a Very slight lateral play, so that the device may yield slightly to the blow or strain caused by a train coming upon the rail, and thus reduce the wear on the rails and car-wheels. The supports are arched in cross-section, so as to permit packing or ballast to be placed under them, and they are provided on their under sides with the central longitudinal ribs J to lend strength to them under the rails and to permit the packing to be placed under one side of the support to a greater extent than on the other side, when so desired, to secure an even and level road. On the upper side of the supports I provide the longitudinal ribs K, which are arranged slightly to one side of the center of thesupports and are adapted to prevent the rails spreading, as will be readily understood upon reference to the drawings. The rails are secured upon the supports by means of the clamping-plates L, which rest upon the supports and the flanges of the rails and are bolted to the supports.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a track which will cause the cars to travel very evenly and smoothly, and its advantages will, it is thought, be readily understood. The arched tops of the ties and the longitudinal rail-supports lend sufficient elasticity to the track to overcome the shock caused by the car-wheels passing from one'rail to another, and the wear on the wheels and the rails is thus reduced and the life of the said parts correspondingly prolonged. The transverse anchor on the under side of the ties positively prevents lat-' eral movement of the ties, and the construction of the flanges on the under side of the tie is such that the ties will be effectually held in position, while at the same time ballast can be packed under them to secure a level road without waiting for the bed to settle, as is now the case. The central ribs on the lonthus arranged, the rails Will rest in the notches F and be thereby prevented from moving laterally.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A metallic tie having an arched top and provided on its under side with depending flanges of unequal lengths.

2. A metallic tie having flanges on its under side at its edges, one of said flanges being short and the other one rather long, for the purposes set forth.

3. A metallic tie provided on its under side with a central transverse anchor and with depending flanges of unequal lengths.

4. The combination, with a tie, of arched longitudinal rail-supports secured on the tie, said supports having central longitudinal ribs on their under sides.

5. The combination, with a tie, of arched rail-supports, the said rail-supports having a central longitudinal rib on their under sides.

6. A metallic railroad-tie having depending flanges of unequal lengths at its side edges and provided on its upper side with a longitudinal rib having notches near its ends.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

AMBROSE W. STRAUB. Witnesses:

G. A. BAUMANN, W. N. CALMORE. 

